comment

YONKERS, N.Y. – A group of Yonkers firefighters are heading south to bring some relief to Hurricane Sandy’s hardest hit victims.

On Monday, members of the Yonkers Firefighters Local 628 loaded up a pair of U-Hauls packed to the roof with donated supplies, each bound for the Rockaways in Queens.

“We want to take care of whoever we can take care of,” Ladder 71 firefighter Tim Sullivan said before heading off to deliver the goods.

Launched last week, the firefighter’s "Clothing and Care Package Drive" is meant for residents in some of the most devastated parts of Queens - Breezy Point, Broad Channel and the Rockaways.

It was in Breezy Point where a blaze ripped through 110 homes during the height of the storm, leaving numerous families homeless. Meanwhile, in Broad Channel and the Rockaways, families watched everything they own get washed away in Sandy’s storm surge.

In all three areas, frustration has grown among desperate residents as they continue to be without fresh food, clean water and power. In addition, they continue to wait for basic aid and supplies, Local 628 President Barry McGoey said.

“It is time to come together and do what we can to help those in dire need,” he said in a statement. “There are thousands of people who have lost everything. It is our hope to offer them what little aid and comfort we can in these desperate times.”

Sullivan said Yonkers residents have answered the call, demonstrating an outpouring of support that was much more than firefighters anticipated.

“People that don’t have anything to give are giving,” he said. “They see what people are suffering through and they want to help out. It’s been awesome to see.”

But the work is far from done. Thousands of residents in Queens are still in dire need of things such as cleaning supplies, toiletries, construction gloves, shovels, diapers and baby supplies.

“Stuff you wouldn’t normally think to donate,” Sullivan said.

Firefighters continue to collect donations and are asking residents who are able to contribute to drop off the items at any of the firehouses around the city.